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A Tale of Two Women


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Image of A Tale of Two Women

A Tale of Two Women
Painting

1991
60 x 60 x 12 in. (152.4 x 152.4 x 30.48 cm)

Hung Liu (Changchun, China, 1948 – 2021, Oakland, California)

Object Type: Painting
Medium and Support: Oil and mixed media on canvas
Credit Line: Gift of Rena Bransten
Accession Number: 1991.07

Exhibition

Visual Politics: The Art of Engagement
, November 20, 2005 - March 5, 2006, New Wing, First Floor, Gibson Family Gallery and Plaza Gallery, San José Museum of Art. Circulated to: Katzen Art Center at American University, Washington, DC, April 9-July 29, 2006.

Hung Liu, 10 year Survey
, 1997-2000, Wooster College

SJMA Label Text


Visual Politics: The Art of Engagement (2005-2006)

Hung Liu was raised in China during the period of the Chinese Cultural Revolution when the government sought to erase non-proletarian history and traditions by enforcing a propagandistic style of art known as Maoist Revolutionary realism. After moving to the United States, however, Liu was able to freely incorporate subjects from photographic images into her art. Since many photographs were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, Liu often uses images produced by foreign tourists as the basis for her paintings. A Tale of Two Women (1991) captures an intimate moment between a maid and her well-to-do mistress. The seated mistress is identified by her ornate gown and her tiny, bound feet—a symbol of sexual desirability—while the maid stands, attired in plain, modest clothes.

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Dimensions
  • Image Dimensions: 60 x 60 x 12 in. (152.4 x 152.4 x 30.48 cm)

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